A neuroscientist debunks the most annoyingly common productivity myths
Increasing your productivity is easy. It’s just a matter of making a few simple changes to your routine, or behaviour, or thinking, and your productivity will soar. At least that’s what countless online articles claim. The actual science tells a different story. Some of the most commonly touted claims about how to boost productivity fall apart in the face of the evidence.
Waking up at 4am will make you more productive
It’s regularly claimed that you’ll be more productive if you get up early – very early.
- However, there are many reasons why waking up early could be actively unproductive
- Sleep is crucial for our ability to function, and depriving yourself of it does more harm than good.
You should be happy in your work
According to many people, productivity is linked to happiness – the happier you are, the more productive you will be.
- However, scientific studies reveal that happy workers are only 12% more productive
- Persuading people to be happy often backfires – if people believe they must be happy, it is harder for them to achieve their goals.
Hard work always pays off
As much as we might want to believe otherwise, when countless people are working equally hard for the same goals, the most important factor is actually going to be… plain old luck
- You can’t tell people to ‘be lucky’ in the same way you can cajole them to work hard
- Our brains are sensitive to the balance between effort and reward
- When the effort we put in is not rewarded as expected, it causes stress and negative emotions
We all have the same 24 hours!
The most successful people experience 24-hour days just like anyone else
- However, the ability to use those hours productively differs tremendously from person to person
- Context is everything
- It’s far easier to use time productively when you have the money and resources
- Few people have the option to use that time 100-percent productively
Keeping busy means being more productive
The idea that constantly being busy is the only way to be truly productive is the default assumption for many people
- In truth, it has long been known that multitasking or ‘task switching’ actually erodes your productivity
- Human brain has limited resources when it comes to attention and working memory – our abilities to focus on and think about things
- Overworking yourself will compromise your ability to do simple tasks effectively
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